Week 3 Storytelling: A Child with Purpose

"Go James, Go!" John yelled to his son as he chased after the soccer ball, just a few strides away from actually kicking it for once. 

If you have never been to a toddler's soccer game before, they can get pretty intense. After a close game with a score of 3-4 James' team was getting closer to a win each and every game. James dreamt of winning his first ever soccer game. "Patience, son," John told him. He made sure James knew a win would be earned with hard work and dedication, not just handed to him. 

James was a determined 6-year-old with more drive than most grown adults. He was a special boy, full of life, too nice to strangers, and like most kids, constantly charged with energy through the roof. His heart of gold was what made him stand out compared to the other kids. It is amazing how a heart so big and full of love could fit into someone so small. James has been through a lot compared to most other kids his age. 

His mom sure was a fighter. 

When James was just three years old and John was still new to being a father, a husband and a man, she got the news that turned their world upside down. She went for a typical check-up at the doctor and later received a call that left them all in shock. She had stage three breast cancer and would begin treatments immediately. She went to chemo after chemo, hoping, praying, even begging for her life. John and James stayed by her side day in and day out. The two of them went to every single appointment, helped her as she lost her hair and grew weak, and loved her more and more each day. The boys stayed strong for her and John and his wife decided not to shield young James throughout the process. Cancer can be a confusing thing for a three year old to understand, but they did their best to be honest with him and help him understand in the most positive way they could possibly think of. They showed him courage, passion and strength. They showed him that life didn't stop because of the challenge thrown their way. They also showed him that John was going to be his rock, his best friend, and his most influential teacher. Throughout the process, John's wife wrote letters to James that he would open throughout his life. The first was for his 10th birthday, she figured at 10 years old he would be more curious than ever about what happened to his mother and she wanted to remind him that she was an angel watching over him and that she loved him more than anything in the world. The next was for his his first day of high school, the one after that was for his graduation day. Then, his wedding day shall he ever get married, and finally for when his first born child would come into the world. 

She wanted to use each of these letters to teach him something valuable, give him a mother's advice, and the feeling you get when you hug your mom after a rough day. 

Although he hadn't received them yet, John let James know each and every day how special his mommy was. John stayed strong and did not ever let the mourning of his wife change the way he treated his son. 

A few weeks later at James next soccer game, he was playing harder than ever. He had a look in his eye that day and John knew today was the day. Sure enough, they came out with a win and James had scored the winning point! John ran over to his son and threw him into the air with joy. He held his son and congratulated him and James looked up toward the sky and said, "that was for you, Mommy." 

That night at dinner, James blurted out in a moment of silence, "I want to make sure other boys don't lose their mommies." 

"Where did you think of that, James?" John asked.

He replied and said, "I was talking to Jesus about it like you taught me and he told me I could do anything if I just believe." 

By the time James was 10 years old, him and his father had created the JJ Foundation which raised millions of dollars for cancer research and treatments. 

(Photo from: John the Baptist and Jesus by Lorenzetti)

Bibliography: The Gospel of Mark King James Version from the Bible

Author's Notes: After reading the Gospel of Mark for my week 3 reading, I decided to use some of the names from the Bible in my story. John played a big role in the Gospel of Mark, so I decided to use his name as one of the main characters in my story. In the Bible, his brother is named James, but in my story this fit well as the name of John's son. I was inspired to incorporate the teachings of Jesus, so at the end of the story Jesus is the one who guided James through prayer in his decision to want to make a difference in the world and believe his age wouldn't stop him from changing peoples lives. I wasn't originally planning on making the story so emotional, but I thought it could still be considered positive because of the way they used a hard challenge in life to do something good in the world.